If you travel to any of these eight Indiana cities, check for bed bugs before laying down at night.

You've most likely heard your parents say "sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" when they tucked you into bed as a child. Nine times out of ten, bed bugs weren't something that people really had to worry about in their homes. Heck, you might have thought that it was just a dumb saying that your parents would just say for the fun of it. However, bed bugs are very real. According to Orkin:

Typically, bed bugs are 3/16 inch long, red to dark brown in color and are mostly nocturnal insects that come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping humans. These pests are hematophagous, which means blood is their only food source. They can travel from place to place with ease, clinging to items such as luggage, purses and other personal belongings.

Now, you'll see that I cited Orkin just now, and that's important to note. You might recall that recently I shared a ranking by Orkin of the worst bed bug places in America. Indianapolis was pretty high on that list. This article isn't a rehash of that study. Apparently, we are in the midst of Bed Bug Awareness Week, which started on June 2nd. That's why Pest Gnome ranked the worst cities for bed bug infestations in 2024. They compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on three main categories: the number of accommodations, multi-unit residential buildings, and population density.

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The top 5 worst cities for bed bugs included New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and San Francisco in that order. However, among the 500 cities listed, there were eight that can be found in Indiana. Let's take a look at which Indiana cities are most infested with bed bugs.

Eight Indiana Cities Included on 2024's Worst Cities for Bed Bugs

According to Pest Gnome, these eight Indiana cities are among 2024's worst for bed bugs. You may or may not be surprised by the findings.

Indianapolis

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Indy came in at number 31 on the list with a 21st rank in infestation risk, 132nd in pest control availability, and 338th in urban density.

Fort Wayne

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Fort Wayne ranked number 169 on the list with 184th rank in infestation risk, 174th in pest control availability, and 346th in urban density.

Bloomington

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Bloomington ranked number 180 on the list with 116th rank in infestation risk, 333rd in pest control availability, and 234th in urban density.

South Bend

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South Bend came in at number 225 on the list with 336th rank in infestation risk, 111th in pest control availability, and 328th in urban density.

Evansville

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Evansville came in at number 240 on the list with 196th rank in infestation risk, 279th in pest control availability, and 330th in urban density.

Hammond

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Hammond came in at number 299 on the list with 431st rank in infestation risk, 119th in pest control availability, and 235th in urban density.

Carmel

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Carmel ranked number 372 on the list with 363rd rank in infestation risk, 313rd in pest control availability, and 388th in urban density.

Fishers

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Fishers ranked in at number 428 on the list with 429th rank in infestation risk, 363rd in pest control availability, and 294th in urban density.

So...are you surprised? Granted, this doesn't mean that you'll find any bed bugs if you visit any of these cities, but the chances are greater than other Indiana cities. That being said, if you're going to an attraction in Indiana and planning on staying in a hotel, there's a helpful site called Bed Bug Reports that allows anyone to anonymously share their experiences. You can search every single town and city in Indiana and their database will show you when and where bed bugs were found. You can click here to learn more.

These 50 US Cities are Crawling with Bed Bugs

Every year the pest control gurus at Orkin put together a list of the Top 50 Bed Bug Destinations in the United States. Which areas do you travel to that you should take extra care to watch out for these blood-sucking insects? Let's countdown to the most bed-bug-riddled city in the United States.

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